Never say never when it comes to writing a book. “I’ll never be a plotter.” “I’d never kill off my protagonist.” “I could never write a series—I’d get too bored with my characters.” As the oft-heard comment goes, each book you write teaches you how to write that book, not the next one. I was…
In a recent chat with a writer friend, we discussed the writing organizations we belong to and the benefits we get from each. I’m a huge fan of writing organizations. As writers, it’s tempting to work in a vacuum, where you don’t have to hear other people criticize your approach, flaunt their own accomplishments, or…
In January every year, by some unwritten decree, we all beat ourselves up over our past behavior and set goals for improvement—things like “be kinder to my neighbor, even when he lets his dog poop on my lawn” or “learn Chinese even though I hate Chinese food and I’ll probably never visit China” or “become…
It’s time for my annual list of holiday gifts for the writer in your life! (Didn’t we just do this? How has a year gone by already?) Whether you’re looking for inspirational gifts, workspace upgrades, or pure indulgences, there’s surely something on this list that will tickle your writer’s holiday fancy. Home Office/Workspace Upgrades and…
What frustrates you in your day-to-day life? What can turn you from your easy-go-lucky, happy self into a venom-spitting viper in 3 nanoseconds or less? Is it bad drivers? When the barista screws up your coffee order? Having to spend an hour on the phone jumping through impenetrable phone-tree options to straighten out a mistake…